The present invention relates generally to package labeling and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for labeling packages having a substantial height range as they are carried along a conveyor with the labels being applied to selected preferred areas of the packages.
A large variety of package labeling systems are known and used, for example, in supermarkets for labeling meats, produce, and other food items. Such labeling systems range from completely manual wherein labels are hand applied to packages either directly or by means of a hand-held labeling "gun", to the fully automatic wherein packages are labeled at a labeling station while the packages are momentarily stopped at the station or passing by. These labeling systems apply a variety of labels with the most common and necessary being pricing labels which display the price, weight, grade identification, and the like. In modern supermarkets, pricing labels also include a UPC bar code which can be used to directly scan the price to be charged for the product.
Another common variety of label is a merchandising label which is used to provide additional information to a consumer by identifying appealing characteristics of the product. For example, hamburger may be designated as "fresh ground", pork chops as "thin cut", a certain roast beef indicated as the "special of the day", and so forth. Merchandising labels are typically purchased preprinted in bright or fluorescent colors to attract consumers' attention and are hand applied to packages wrapped and price labeled prior to application of the merchandising labels. Preprinted merchandising labels create obvious inventory problems and, when hand applied, are labor intensive and may not be consistently applied due to slothfulness or time pressures.
Such merchandising labels also can be applied by means of labeler "guns" or automatic labelers, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,757 which issued Oct. 7, 1986, to Fritz F. Treiber. Treiber's merchandising labeler can be used alone; however, as disclosed it is used in conjunction with a pricing labeler. Both the merchandising labeler and the pricing labeler are incorporated into a packaging system and positioned over the elevator of an elevating wrapping machine such that a pricing label and a merchandising label are applied to a package as it is being wrapped. In Treiber, both labelers are horizontally movable relative to packages to be labeled with the movement being responsive to package dimensions which define the side edges of the packages.
While Treiber's labeling arrangement could be adapted to operate with package conveyors, horizontal shifting in both the lateral and longitudinal directions would greatly increase the complexity of any apparatus including his labelers. It is further apparent that if his merchandising labeler was used with a package conveyor, the labeler head would have to be positioned at an elevation substantially equal to the upper surface of packages to be conveyed thereunder. If the labeler head hangs down below the upper surface of packages to be labeled, the packages would engage the label backing material which tends to adhere tenaciously to plastic wrapping materials commonly employed in supermarkets. It is thus apparent that Treiber's merchandising labeler could not accommodate a substantial range of package heights if used with a package conveyor.
Another problem associated with applying merchandising labels is the coordination of such labels with pricing labels or other labels which are applied to the packages. This should be no problem with manual application or Treiber's labelers because of their fixed orientations relative to one another; however, if two or more different labels are applied to packages by separate and distinct labelers, the labelers must be coordinated with one another to place labels such that they do not overlap or otherwise interfere with one another.
A need exists for a method and apparatus for applying labels to packages as they are carried along a conveyor wherein a substantial range of package heights can be accommodated without requiring height adjustments of the labeler and the labels can also be positioned within preferred areas of the upper surfaces of the packages. Such labeling method and apparatus could be used to apply a variety of labels including pricing labels and would be particularly applicable to merchandising labels. Preferably, such a label applying method and apparatus could be easily adapted to function with existing price labeling systems such that merchandising labels could be applied before or after pricing labels in complementary preferred areas of the upper surfaces of the packages.